100 Best Science Photos of the Year

By Live Science Staff |
December 27, 2016 04:26pm ET

Photo Credit: Benoit Guénard, The University of Hong Kong

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Stunning Science

This year was full of amazing science … and stunning images to boot. From stunning animals — including a dancing peacock spider, a baby sea dragon, the cutest dinosaur ever and a glowing alien-like sea creature — to ancient history, including a striking Etruscan sarcophagus in the shape of a woman’s face and the youngest Egyptian mummy, to the plain bizarre — think an ancient tattoo on a mummy’s neck and a volcanic smiley face, there’s plenty to look at in the world of science from 2016. Click through to see Live Science’s best in science images.

Glowing alien

Photo Credit: Ocean Art Competition 2015 / Jeff Milisen

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Glowing alien

Shimmering against a deep-black background, a rarely seen larval cusk-eel looks more "alien with a Mohawk" than bony fish. Photographer Jeff Milisen earned the top prize in the Underwater Photography Guide's Ocean Art Contest this year for the dazzling shot.

During the fish's larval stage (shown in the photo), it sports a gracefully trailing blue-hued appendage holding its gut. Illuminated by the camera's light, this digestive system takes the form of tube-like structures under the head, and extending the length of its external digestive sack.

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Underwater beauty

Photo Credit: Francesco Visintin

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Underwater beauty

Another amazing shot from the Ocean Art Contest, this one of a barrel jellyfish (Rhizostoma pulmo) took first place in the "Wide Angle" category. The photographer, Francesco Visintin, captured the image at Forte dei Marmi, in Tuscany, Italy. He said that several factors — rising sea temperatures, mating season, a decrease in natural predators of jellyfish, as well as winds and currents — concentrated thousands of these jellyfish in the shallow waters off the Versilia coast.

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Seized sarcophagi

Photo Credit: Copyright Ministère public genevois

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Seized sarcophagi

This striking face is a sarcophagus produced by the Etruscans, a culture that thrived in central Italy about 2,500 years ago, before being encompassed by Rome.

This sarcophagus was one of two seized from a warehouse in Geneva, along with other artifacts that authorities suspected had been looted from archaeological sites. Swiss officials said the objects were stored by a "former high-profile British art dealer" who'd previously been linked to looting, a description that may have referred to dealer Robin Symes.

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Animal selfie

Photo Credit: TEAM Network and Wildlife Conservation Society

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Author Bio

Live Science Staff,

For the science geek in everyone, Live Science offers a fascinating window into the natural and technological world, delivering comprehensive and compelling news and analysis on everything from dinosaur discoveries, archaeological finds and amazing animals to health, innovation and wearable technology. We aim to empower and inspire our readers with the tools needed to understand the world and appreciate its everyday awe.